Comment: Romania’s long awaited tennis championship

It’s Simona Halep’s first major win and she managed to showcase a true tennis final, one full of hope, struggle, frustration (at times) and comeback. It was all in the spirit of a winning singles tennis champion, which she can now finally call herself. Indian Wells began as a favorite tournament amongst the players. It just happened that it also became Halep’s “good luck charm tennis arena” and possibly the beginning of many more championships or a winning streak going forward. If anyone was more present and enthusiastic about today’s women’s final were the Romanians from all over the world. A few Romanian Americans which call California home drove into the fancy desert of Indian Wells to get a glimpse of a star of their own. I watched from home, but nevertheless I was one hundred percent in spirit there. It was a little frustrating and curiously interesting at the same time when my online live match ran slowly (especially on important points). In the end I realized that it wasn’t my Internet connection or the weather but the interest that this match awakened in everyone Romanian or those charmed by the Halep tennis. First, she is charismatic and since tennis is a sport and lifestyle that deserves a round of applause. Halep doesn’t seem to carry a luggage of drama around with her. Second, her success comes in small steps, humble and at least in today’s case, achieved in a surprising manner. To recall what we first loved about Nadal’s tennis matches was his strength to come back in the likes of a warrior and rise like the phoenix. Halep gave us that show and I think we loved it! It’s a positive kind of drama. Ion Țiriac, the father of Romanian tennis, watched Halep from the stands almost as if he were coaching. It’s been long since the Romanians have seen one of their own in a winning major tennis final. His presence was reassuring, possibly to her fans and although a little nerve wracking maybe even to Halep. His support of Halep’s and the Romanian tennis is worth noting. Țiriac is placing the spotlight on talents that otherwise would have been lost in a pool of well coached and anonymous players. Perhaps Halep is his call-to-action, to invest more in Romania’s tennis players, or in any country’s tennis players and especially in this great sport. Romania’s Simona Halep wins Indian Wells tennis tournament Novak Djokovic’s win also makes Halep’s Indian Wells success a little more special. They are neighbors. As in Romania and Serbia border each other as countries and cultures. Many times watching Djokovic I can’t help but think of him as a countryman of our own. I believe that secretly all Romanians wish that he was Romanian or at least that we reached the heights of success which Serbia gained in the past years. You could say he almost looks Romanian too. Djokovic could play the role of Count Dracula or Vlad Țepes seemingly on any world stage without anybody claiming otherwise. However in tennis at least, he already has, but as a man of his own and one of Serbia’s greatest pride in sport. Today, we start from zero. Until now a major win from Simona Halep seemed unsure but we were given the courage once again since the Țiriac and Nastase tennis days to believe that a Romanian in this case or any other up-and-coming tennis player has the chance, realistically, to win for the first time and defeat all odds. At the beginning of her career as a champion, Halep is learning that success is achieved in small steps and in return we are learning from her to trust again in the power of the new, young and strong future champions. It's just the kick start that the WTA needed for a great 2015 season!